News

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) today jointly issued a consumer advisory for chicken salad sold at Fareway stores. The chicken salad, which is produced and packaged by a third party for Fareway, is implicated in multiple cases of salmonella illness across Iowa.

Over the past several weeks, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has received numerous reports of diarrhea and vomiting outbreaks caused by norovirus. While norovirus activity occurs year-round, it is traditionally higher in the colder months because people are indoors more and in closer contact. Norovirus spreads very easily when people fail to stay home when ill with diarrhea or vomiting, and when they don’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom.

Influenza levels continue to build in Iowa and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is confirming an additional eight flu-related deaths. Five of the deaths occurred in Central Iowa and included two female older adults (61 to 80 years of age); two elderly females (81+ years of age); and one elderly male. Two of the deaths occurred in Southwest Iowa (both were elderly females) and one death, an elderly male, occurred in Eastern Iowa. Five of the eight individuals had an underlying health condition.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), reported cases of gonorrhea are increasing quickly in Iowa. Preliminary Iowa data indicate 3,600 cases of gonorrhea in 2017. This would be a 145 percent increase since 2013. There were 2,600 cases reported in 2016.

Influenza spread and severity is building in Iowa, as the Iowa Department of Public Health reported four new influenza-related deaths today: an elderly (81+ years of age) female and older adult (61 to 80 years of age) female in Southeast Iowa; an elderly female in Northeast Iowa; and an elderly male in Northwest Iowa.